The Copyright Office of Ghana has issued a stern warning to television stations across the country, cautioning them against broadcasting copyrighted content without proper authorisation.
The office emphasised that offenders risk severe legal consequences, including hefty fines and imprisonment.
In a statement released on Wednesday, June 11, the Office’s National Anti-Piracy Committee said that it had uncovered numerous TV stations illegally downloading and airing movies, TV shows, sports broadcasts, and other creative works from streaming platforms without securing the required licenses.
“This practice constitutes copyright infringement and is a criminal offence under the Copyright Act, 2005 (Act 690), as amended,” the statement said.
The committee noted that such violations are undermining Ghana’s creative industry, depriving content creators and rights holders of their rightful earnings and breaching both national and international copyright laws.
As part of immediate corrective actions, all broadcasters have been directed to cease airing any unlicensed content immediately, obtain the appropriate licenses from rights holders or authorised agencies, and to keep accurate records of all content acquisition agreements for verification purposes.
The Copyright Office also announced it will intensify surveillance and enforcement efforts in collaboration with law enforcement agencies to crack down on piracy.
“We urge all broadcasters to respect intellectual property rights and contribute to the growth of Ghana’s creative economy by complying with the law,” the statement concluded.
This recent development comes following concerns raised by various stakeholders in the entertainment sector over the various copyright violations by TV stations across the country.
ID/AE
